Letters blog: Rigorous training for Newport lifeguards

A bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. 08/24/2010 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

-HUNTINGTON BEACH, Curt Jones: In response to William Michael's insightful letter about the candidate pool for lifeguarding positions ["Lifeguard job-pool is unemployed surfers," June 25]: His belief that the lifeguard candidate pool is small because it is limited to unemployed surfers is funny.

The real lifeguard candidate pool is very small, because most people are not capable of surviving the tryout. Men and women trying out for lifeguard positions are mostly high school and college water polo players and swimmers who have spent countless hours in the ocean preparing for the tryouts. The lifeguard tryout consists of a 1,000 meter swim and a run-swim-run in the ocean with a water temperature of about 55 degrees, so the majority of people need not apply.

He is right, lifeguard candidates are "high achievers." The majority of people trying out plan on going to college or are already in college. Your typical seasonal lifeguard has completed 110 hours of training before they get an opportunity to work a beach. In most instances the lifeguard trainee is not paid during this period. So, yes, they are willing to take on the responsibility and are committed to helping others.

Seasonal life guards are the future firemen, EMT's, police officers, doctors and nurses. They have already proven that they are willing and able to handle the training, responsibility and commitment required to save lives.

In 2010 the lifeguards of Huntington Beach (city), Huntington Beach (state), and Newport Beach rescued approximately 11,105 swimmers. Just because you didn't see any rescues does not mean they are not being made.

Lifeguard tryouts are posted and hundreds of candidates try out. But the simple truth is most people can't hack it and that's the bottom line.

_____

-SAN CLEMENTE, Richard Green: These are not unemployed surfers ["Lifeguard job-pool is unemployed surfers," Letters, June 25]. William Michael was probably searching for a more pejorative word but couldn't find one. The only thing that could have made his letter worse was if he had suggested outsourcing this critical function to a private company paying the $8, $10, $12 he thinks these people are worth and offering no training, which he seems to think is superfluous.

We are lucky to have these lifeguards. Unfortunately, we don't have as many as we've had in years past. Maybe Michael could get satisfaction knowing that some empty towers on the beach save him a few bucks at the cost of diminished public safety.

The Danger is debatable

-LAKE FOREST, Rick Birle: Guest columnist Mike Brousard's assertion that the exorbitant salaries of Newport Beach lifeguards is justified because somehow their short stretch of beach is more dangerous and demanding than the rest of Orange County's beaches is highly debatable ["Reader rebuttal: Newport lifeguards" June 26].

This hardly makes Newport Beach unique. In my non-expert opinion the only thing unique about Newport Beach is the tiny area where the beach meets the breakwater known as The Wedge, which is as placid as the rest of the beach most of the time.

There is one thing I'm certain of in this debate: 90 percent of Newport Beach's lifeguards would do the job for half the pay and the other 10 percent could be replaced in a nanosecond.

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A bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. 08/24/2010 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER FILE PHOTO
bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. 08/24/2010 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. 08/24/2010 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Newport Beach Lifeguards train from their rescue boat. Photo by Lifeguard Lt. Brent Jacobsen. PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
A 27 foot Catalina sailboat sits high and dry on Corona del Mar State beach after coming loose from mooring off the beach.,Wednesday April 30,2008 SE winds have been blowing all morning. Owner Mike(rt) talks with Newport Beach lifeguards. PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
A 27 foot Catalina sailboat sits high and dry on Corona del Mar State beach after coming loose from mooring off the beach, Wednesday ,April 30, 2008. SE winds have been blowing all morning. Owner Mike(rt) talks with Newport Beach lifeguards. PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
Newport Beach lifeguards will be the subject of a documentary , airing this Saturday, on the Discovery Channel. A production company followed the NB lifeguards through their duties during last Summer . PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
Newport Beach lifeguard John Moore patrols the more than 7 miles of beach in Newport Beach. The warm weather paired with the fact that the Newport Beach lifeguards are still at winter staffing levels has left them a little short handed. 3/15/07 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
Orange County Register - Newport Beach lifeguards patrol the more than 7 miles of beach in Newport Beach. The warm weather paired with the fact that the Newport Beach lifeguards are still at winter staffing levels has left them a little short handed. 3/15/07 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
A bodyboarder rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards said waves were 4-8 feet and growing. 08/24/2010 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Lifeguards pull in a man who was swimming without permission at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Lifeguards tried to keep only qualified swimmers in the water 7/25/09 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
Three Newport Beach lifeguards pull a man from the water after he had the air knocked out of his lungs by two big waves at the Wedge Friday afternoon. Lifeguards had to pull people out of the water at the Wedge today after one body surfer was killed by high waves sent him into the rocks of the jetty around 1 p.m. Friday. 7/24/2009 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO
People watch the waves and the body surfers from the Jetty at the Wedge in NEwport Beach Friday afternoon. 7/24/2009 PHOTO GALLERY BY BETTY TALBERT, REGISTER PHOTO

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